Device for taking up brake chain slack



April 24, 1928.

J. MMULLEN mavics FOR TAKING u? rams can" suck Filed July 13. 1926 Patented Apr. 24, 192s.

UNITED. STATES PATENT oFF'lcE...

JOHN Memo mentor; BUEEA QJ W- RK- f DEVICE non axman? BRAKE CHAIN sLAc'x.

Application filed July 3, 1 926. Sci-ilal No. 122,056.

shoes, the leading object among several that might be mentioned being to provide means for more speedily applying the hand brake appliances when they are required for use in emergency or other calls; and to this end taking up the slack inthe chains or connections, so that the brake shoes maybe instantly set byhand when there is no air, and so set with a power equal to a fluid pressure application. The invention therefore may be said to consist essentially in the'constluction, arrangement, and combination of parts,

substantiallyv as willbe hereinafter described and claimed.

.In the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention:

Figure 1 is a the essential featuresof a railway car brake equipment withmy improved chain take-up devices applied thereto. 7

, Figure 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the chain take-up features for the slack in the chain.

Figure 3 is a sideor edge view of the same.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the'take-up members with the brake chain.

partly wound thereon and taking up the slack.

Figure 5 is a side or edge view, and Figure 6 a sectional plan view of an alternate form of the invention. 7

Like charactersof reference designate like parts throughout all the figuresof the drawmg. e

In Figure 1 I have shown a form of air brake mechanism in diagrammatic outline, together with a hand brake, so as to indicate how my improved slack take-up is arranged to function. In this view A denotes the brake cylinder on a car; C the brake cylinder piston rod; D the cylinder lever, from which runs the lever G for actuating the brake shoes which are not indicated; F an outline of leverage connected at-13-to the car, and having an actuating rod or lever E extending to the sheaveor pulleyB, around which passes the brake chain 4,.one end ofwhich is firmly attached at 9 to the car body, while the other end is usually attached to the diagrammatic plan view of brake post 1, which post carries the hand wheel 11, but in my'improved device the w chain 4 is notattached to the post 1 buttis; connected tothe end of. the take-up connection or member 5, or. 5, which is'pivoted to another arm,lever, or member 2,.or 2*, hav. mg a hub 3 secured to post 1 by a bolt/9,

pin, or any other'suitablemeans which passes through a hole in the post and proper coin-J ciding holes in the hub. Of course it will be recognized, that the 1 mechanism of the air brake 'anclthe' levers therefor andifor the brake shoes is portrayed only diagrammati'.

"cally, and all the detailed mechanism is not shown, as that would be unnecessary, asI

parts in a general way ofjthe-brake chain serving with thebrake' wheel and its post, so as to'explain the noveltyand' value of my improved'device. a v I The brake post 1 provided'with its hand wheel 11 is supported in any customary or convenient partof a car or other conveyance, as for instancethe platform of'a passenger coach or the top of a freight car, and may have a pawl and ratchet and other suitable only need to indicate'the relation to such' details which it is unnecessary to show here.

Secured to the post 1 is an extended arm or lever which is susceptible of a wide diversity in its configuration, but which is formed with a sleeve or hub 3 through which the post 1 passes, the postl and hub 3 bein gsecurely fastened together by a bolt and nut, 9, pin

or dowel passingthrough an opening in hub 3 and a coincident opening in staff 1. The

the form shown at 2 in Figure 3, where it has a slot 14, and is pivoted by means of a rivet form of pivot 6 to a singleconnecting arm which is integral with hub 3 may take member 5, one endof which enters the slot 1 1, while the other end is slotted at- 7'to receive one of the links of the chain 4 which is heldpivotally therein by means of the bolt 8, or other device, passing through the jaws 10, 10, on opposite'sides of the slot 7. "Or, in the alternate form shown in Figures 5 and 6 the hub 3 is made integral with a' single arm or lever 2 while the connecting member 5 consists of two parallel strips having between them a central spacing member 12, preferably with one inclined edge. The lever 2" enters one end of the connecting member 5 between its two parts and is pivoted there by means of the pivot 6', while at the other end of member 5'? a link of the chain 4 is held'between the we parted the member by bolt 8. Of course the lever on use the first turn 01? the Wheel 11 and its staff 1 Will produce an initial effect of taking); up a goodly amount if not all of the slack in chain 4, for the lever 2 and connecting member 5, or the lever 2* and connecting member 5", will be swung around from the straight out position in Figures 2 and 3 and Figure 5 into the closed position shown in Figures 4 and 6 Where the slack in the chain is taken up before the chain begins to Wind on the staff 1. By the old. method without any intervening leverage it is evident that but a small amount of the chain would he Wound on the first turn, and it might take several turns to eliminate the slack and therefore a much longer time to apply the brakes. When theslack is taken out of the chain the continued rotation of the wheel ll and thestafi 1 will cause the chain to wind around the shaft 1, but since the slack oi the chain has been removed by the intervention of the arms, the further tightening of the chain Will he done gradually and by the windingof the same upon a member of small diarneter, Which will increase the force with Which the shoes are applied to the Wheels. In this Way the braking of a car or train by hand is as quick and strong as automatic power braking.

Having thus described my invention, What 1 claim as neWand desire to secure by Let-;

ters Patent is:

In a brake dvice, the combination with a chain for transmitting motion to the brake shoes, of means for taking up the slack consisting of a lengthened connecting.

slotted link to Which the chain is pivoted,

and a slotted elongated lever arm pivoted to said link, said lever arm having a hub, and

JOHN 'MGMULLEN. 

